Costa Mesa Approves Sixth Medical Cannabis Facility

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission gave the green light to another medical marijuana manufacturing and distribution facility Monday night.

Commissioners voted unanimously to grant a conditional use permit for Nature's Market, which plans to open in an existing 24,379-square-foot industrial building at 1675 Toronto Way.

It is the sixth medical marijuana facility the commission has approved for the area of the city where businesses that research, test, process and manufacture such products are allowed under Measure X, an initiative approved by local voters in 2016. The area is north of South Coast Drive and west of Harbor Boulevard.

The plant is still subject to a bevy of financial and safety approvals from the city, as well as final go-ahead from the state. The facility would take in cannabis material for the processing of vapor pens, according to documents. While it can operate up to 24 hours, deliveries are prohibited between midnight and 5 a.m.

One resident who spoke about the facility expressed concerns about the security of deliveries.

"I don't think the city of Costa Mesa has one clue what it's getting into," the resident said.

Measure X was passed by 54.6 percent of voters in November of 2016. It allows medical marijuana testing, transportation and research facilities to operate in a designated industrial zone of the city. Recreational marijuana sales, however, are still prohibited in Costa Mesa.